


Not My Cup of Coffee

by WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks



Category: Captain America (Movies), The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Coffee Shops & Cafés, M/M, Multi, maximum fluff, the fluffiest fluff to ever fluff
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-06-18
Updated: 2015-08-02
Packaged: 2018-02-05 05:17:01
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 14,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1806649
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks/pseuds/WhenTheCanonShootsOnlyBlanks
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bucky goes for a cup of coffee, he meets his new neighbor Steve.<br/>He is immediately attracted to the handsome blond, but what happens when Steve drinks the wrong order?</p><p>A twist on the standard coffee shop AU.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1: Coffee can cause a latte problems

**Author's Note:**

> Hai everybody!
> 
> This is my first fic, ever.  
> So don't be too harsh, all feedback is welcome and really appreciated.  
> Let me know what you think and what you would like to see.  
> This is supposed to be a multi-chapter fic, I don't know how long exactly, until the inspiration stops coming I guess.  
> Please review!

 

_** ** _

7 AM,  Bucky yawned loudly as he put the last glasses in the cupboard. He had been up  all night unpacking and he wasn't even halfway through the boxes strewn across his apartment. He always thought of himself as a non-materialistic person, but that was apparently not the case. 

He flopped down on a yet unpacked box and let out another loud yawn. Caffeine, that was what he needed right now. He hadn't found the box with his coffeemaker yet, so there was no other choice than leaving the apartment and check out the coffee shop across the street. 

Bucky hadn't found his mirror either, but  he was pretty sure he looked like he just escaped from prison.  Not sleeping gave him dark circles under his eyes  big enough to make a raccoon jealous. 

He ran a hand through his brown, shoulder length hair to comb out some of the tangles. He considered grabbing a comb that he had seen lying around somewhere, but decided against it. He was going for a cup of coffee at 7 am on a Sunday morning. Most likely there would be no one there except a sleepy teenager, with minimum wage. So looking his best wasn't a priority, caffeine was.

He grabbed his leather jacket out of a box, it may have been late April, it was still damn cold this early in the morning. He closed the door to apartment 4B and  headed down the four flights of stairs. The lift wasn't working. He was still sore from car ry ing all his stuff upstairs the day before.

Once he got down, he waved at Stan the doorman and  crossed the street towards 'The Caffeine Initiative'. The café looked nice enough, the storefront looked rather intimidating  and official with its  black with white lettering and large eagle logo , b ut inside there were comfortable looking booths and colourful paintings hung on the brick walls.

When Bucky entered, a small bell sounded alerting the other customers to his presence. There were a couple of people there, must of them already sipping coffee and generally looking sleepy . He grew suddenly conscious of his appearance ,  but nobody paid him any attention.

It was pretty busy considering the time, and hopefully that meant the coffee was good. He would probably have to move again  if the coffee place across the street sold horrible coffee. 

He couldn't go a day without caffeine and even though he had a coffee maker, he only used it for late night emergencies.  He shot a glance at the menu to decide  what he should have , when something behind the counter seemed to explode.

'Sam!' An older guy in an apron yelled. 'I told you to refill the water! Now we have coffee grounds everywhere! Go get a mop! '

'Sorry Phil, I forgot. It won't happen again.'

The kid  scurried off, covered in coffee ,  to collect the mop. And the other guy, Phil turned to his costumers.

'Sorry about that ,  Steve, he's new. Did you get anything on you?  It would be a shame if he ruined your shirt. But on the other hand you would have to take it off, and that would be a bonus. '

Was he flirting with the blond? It sounded like they knew each other. He had called him by his first name, so the blond, Steve, was probably a regular.

The blond guy i n front of Bucky  chuckled good heartedly.    
'No,  the shirt is  okay. I was out of the blast radius,  but good thing you  found  someone to help. Wouldn't want you to die of stress, you make the best coffee for miles. Even if the theme you have going on is stupid. '

'What can I say,' Phil said, shrugging his shoulders 'Once you go government, you never go back. But what can I get you? The usual?'

'No, today I need something a little stronger, a  grande caffè  Americano please.'

'Stayed up all night again, huh?' Phil said while turning to see how Sam was getting along with the coffee machine. 

'Sam, you heard the man, one  grande caffè  Americano please, stat! And what can I get you sir?'

'The same , with a pump of hazelnut please.' 

' Another night owl, huh? You and Steve might get along, he never sleeps at night. He's a haunted artist you see, always looking for inspiration.' He turned to Sam again, who was fumbling with the coffee machine.

'For the Presidents sake boy. Hurry up will you? These men need caffeine!'

The guy in front of him turned, and Bucky's mind went into overdrive. The blond had a jawline like a superhero and start ling  blue eyes.  No wonder Phil was flirting with him, the guy was incredibly attractive. He suddenly regretted not combing his hair.

' Uhm ,  hai .' The blond said sheepishly, ruffling his close cropped blond hair. 'I'm the tortured artist Phil was speaking about. My name is Steve. I live across the street. I saw you carrying stuff up the stairs yesterday, you moved into 4B right?'

Bucky closed his mouth, he hadn't realised had been hanging open , a nd tried to think of an intelligent response.

' Uhh , ye s, I did. My name's James. But everyone calls me Bucky. ' 

Steve smi led and extended his han d.

'Welcome to the  building Bucky, nice to meet you. '

Bucky extended his hand ,  hoping it wasn't gross or sweaty . They shook hands for longer then was absolutely necessary, and they only stopped because Sam yelled from over the counter that their orders were ready.

'Americano! And Americano hazelnut!'  He said, placing two steaming cups of coffee in front of them. 

Steve grabbed  the  cup  closest to him and sat down in a booth. All the tables were now occupied, and Bucky didn’t dare to share a booth with Steve yet. So he just took a seat at the counter. He looked around the café, waiting for his coffee to cool.

Apart from Steve there were plenty of other people. A young redhead shared a booth with a guy in a muscle shirt,  the guy was laughing about something the redhead had said.

In the booth behind them a middle aged guy with a goatee was talking animatedly  to a man with salt and pepper curls, who seemed to be sleeping. 

In the corner a professional looking brunette was typing away on her laptop whi le carrying on  a conversation with a  redhead in a power suit . And apart from Phil and Sam behind the counter that was it.

'The Caffeine Initiati ve' had a  cos y feel to it. And it smelled deliciously of coffee and chocolate muffins. Bucky considered buying one while slowly sipping his coffee,  waiting for the caffeine to kick in . It was good, but too bitter for his taste and no hazelnut.

'Excuse me,' Bucky started, but he was interrupted by loud coughing and wheezing com ing  from Steve's booth. 

The blond was doubled over and coughing violently. His face all red and blotchy. He tried to get up from the table, but couldn't manage more than a few steps before he collapsed on the ground. Hand at his throat , strugg ling  to breath.

Everybody in the dinner looked shocked. for a next two seconds  nobody moved. Everybody was staring at Steve. Trying to process what was going on.

'He's having an allergic reaction.' The guy with the salt and pepper curls said. Awakened by the coughing.

'You,' He said, motioning to Phil. 'Call 9 1 1, his airways are closing. He will die of asphyxiation if  we don't do anything.'

Phil grabbed a phone and dialled the number. Meanwhile the other guy had rushed over to Steve's side searching his bag.

'Hey!' Bucky interrupted. 'You really think this is a good time to steal his stuff.'

'I am not stealing his stuff,' He said without looking up. 'Someone with a reaction so severe should carry around an  epi -pen.' He continued rummaging in the bag until he found what he was looking for.

'Aha, I knew it.' He said, holding up a syringe and stabbing it in Steve's thigh.

The whole café held it's breath. And Steve's coughing stopped and his face returned to a more normal colour.

'Thank you,' He wheezed. 'Must have been... Nuts... In the coffee.' 

'Take it easy, pal. An ambulance is on its way. You're going to be fine.'

' Tha ... thank you.' Steve managed to get out.

It took 6 minutes for the ambulance to arrive and in that time Bucky had figured out exactly what had triggered Steve's attack. They had picked the wrong cup of coffee. 


	2. The Grounds of an Apology

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After the unfortunate accident, Bucky follows Steve to the hospital to make it up to him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am really, terribly, incredibly sorry for how long this took. It was supposed to be up in a few days. But I just couldn't find the inspiration are the will to finish this chapter. So here it is. I promise the next one will be up sooner.  
> I hope you like it. I
> 
> Comments are appreciated.

Bucky was still in shock when the paramedics had lifted Steve unto the gurney and rolled him into the ambulance. Phil was talking to one of the paramedics and the guy with the salt and pepper curls, Bruce, was explaining what had happened. Sam was sitting in the corner looking generally miserable.

'He's allergic to nuts, he must have gotten the wrong order.' Phil explained .

'And that's when you got his  epi -pen and injected him?' The paramedic asked Bruce.

'Yes, sir.' He said calmly

'You probably saved his life. A reaction this severe could have cause major trauma. We appreciate your help.'

'No problem, just doing my job, I am a doctor too.'

'Well, thank you anyway, doctor.'

The paramedic turned to walk out the door and before Bucky knew what came over him he sprang up and yelled 'Wait!'

'Sorry sir,' The paramedic said. 'Is there something I can do for you?'

' Uhm ,' Bucky began. 'Can I come with him? To the hospital I mean. So he has somebody to talk to.' 

'Sorry sir, unless you are a family member, I can’t let you come.'

Bucky looked at the ambulance parked outside and before he could answer that he and Steve had no connection, except that they lived in the same building and had accidently drunk each  others coffee, which had gotten them into this mess. Phil answered for him.

'He's his boyfriend, sir. That counts as a relative right?' Phil said with a wink to Bucky, who's mouth was almost on the floor.

The paramedic looked pretty much the same, but unlike Bucky he recovered from it quickly.

' Yes, sorry sir, of  course you can come . Please follow me.'

The paramedic  held open the door, and a baffled Bucky followed him, still trying to get over the boyfriend thing. He had known he was gay ever since his late teens, but he had always been a bit of a closet case. Nobody except his mother  and of course the occasional one night stand knew he was gay. So how had Phil   noticed so quickly? And more importantly did this mean that Steve was gay too? He shook his head to lose the thoughts, Phil probably just said the first thing that popped into his mind. 

When Bucky climbed into the back of the ambulance Steve's breathing had eased considerably but it was still raspy and loud. His eyes were closed and he seemed oblivious to Bucky's ent rance . 

Once the ambulance started moving Bucky  couldn't keep his eyes of the blond. But he felt very uncomfortable doing it. He had only known the guy for 10 minutes and that included poisoning him. He felt like he was intruding in one of his weakest moments. They guy was built like a rock, you would never assume he could break down like that.

With some effort he tore his eyes away and let them scan his surroundings instead. When he found nothing interesting his eyes moved back to Steve.

H is eyes were still closed and his chest moved slowly up and down. His breathing almost returned to normal. He seemed to be asleep but he must have been in a lot of  pain as he occasionally grimaced.

The paramedic put Steve on a drip, and explained to Bucky that they just needed to keep him overnight to see if there was any damage done. They were however optimistic because Steve hadn't lost consciousness and all his vitals seemed to be okay.

Bucky spent the rest of the ride  pretending not to look at Steve and failing miserably. 

Once in the hospital, the paramedics told Bucky they needed to do some testing and someone would come and get him when they were done. So Bucky sat down in the waiting area twiddling his thumbs. He suddenly felt incredibly tired, the adrenaline had faded away and he still hadn't had more than a single sip of coffee that day.

He rummaged through his pockets for change to get a cup from the machine in the corner. The coffee tasted horrible compared to the sip he had just had 'The Caffeine Initiative'. But caffeine was caffeine so he drank it stoically.

Drinking the poor excuse for a cup of coffee took him exactly 6 minutes. He had no idea how long the testing might take but an hour seemed to be an reasonable estimate. So only 54 minutes left. Great.

He looked around the waiting area. there wasn't anyone else in sight. Apparently it was too early for accidents to happen yet. Apart from the coffee machine from hell there was also a small gift shop. Maybe he should get Steve something, as a peace offering.

He wandered over and looked through the stuff they had on display. Maybe he should get Steve flowers. They had some pretty nice bouquets, he picked one and was hal f  way to the register when he suddenly realised that Steve might be allergic for flowers too.

So no flowers. Foods were out too. That left stuffed animals and cards. And Bucky was pretty sure Hallmark didn't make cards for accidently causing an anaphylactic  shock. So a stuffed animal it was.

He  looked over  the hospitals selection of bears with 'I  wuv  you  beary  much' and other lame slogans ,  until he found the perfect one , he paid fo r it and wandered back to his seat. 

2 cups of  brown water  later a nurse with a clipboard came in and told him to follow.

He got up, dusted himself off and followed , clutching the gift behind his back

Steve was lying in bed, looking a lot better than he had before. If you didn't know any better you would say he was the very picture of health. When Steve saw Bucky he sat up and smiled.

'Hey, Bucky right? What brings you here?'

'I came to apologise for almost killing you.'

'So that was you , huh?  Next time instead of hazelnuts try arsenic, my  epi-pen doesn't work as well with that.'

'I am really sorry, I, uh, I brought you this.' Bucky said, tossing the toy at Steve, who caught it with surprising agility. Once he got a good look at it, he doubled over laughing and almost immediately groaned in pain.

'You,' He said through clenched teeth 'Are going to be the end of me. What is this?' He said holding up the stuffed raccoon.

'That's a raccoon.' Bucky answered sheepishly.

'I can see that, but you two look like you might be related.' Steve said smiling broadly.

Bucky self-consciously ran a hand through his hair. 

'I didn't get a lot of sleep last night.' Bucky said.

'I'm messing with you. It is the least I can do. You almost killed me. And then you came here and tried to finish the job by killing me with this!' He said, holding up the raccoon. 'You, sir have made one hell of a first impression. And not only because you put hazelnuts in you coffee.'  He continued.

'Steve, I am really sorry  for the coffee. I'll quit bothering you. I'll just go now.' Bucky said as he turn to leave.

'No stay , I could use the company, and although I do like this tiny, non-poisonous version of you. He doesn't look like a great talker. So I would rather you stayed instead. So sit down in that uncomfortable looking chair in the corner, and tell me something about yourself.' 

'That chair is nothing,' Bucky said. 'You should have seen the ones in the waiting room, and the coffee the machine gave me? Not even close to that fine piece of upholstery.'

Steve laughed  and immediately winced again . 'Just sit down will you? And stop being funny. My asthmatic lungs can't handle that right now.'

Bucky sat down and looked at Steve sheepishly. 'So,' He began. 'What do you want to know?'

'You can began by telling me what sort of man drinks his coffee with hazelnuts?' 

Bucky laughed at the question, expecting something different entirely. 

'Well as you know, I stayed up all night, to unpack all my stuff. And I needed caffeine, but I do not really like the bitter taste of that much caffeine so I tried to mask it by hazelnuts.'

'You couldn't go with caramel or anything? Something sweet that doesn’t send me into shock?'

'I just really like hazelnuts.' Bucky answered softly.

'Just my luck,' Steve said. 'I drink the coffee of a guy with a thing for nuts.'

If Bucky had been drinking anything at that point, he would have spewed it all over the hospital room. But since he wasn't, he started coughing uncontrollably .

'Sorry? ' He said, trying to recover his posture, hoping his face hadn't turned as red as it felt.

Steve looked at him with an eyebrow raised in confusion. 'You okay? You looked like you just swallowed a fly.' 

'A fly, yes, something like that.'  Bucky stammered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> You can also find me on tumblr.com 
> 
> http://whenthecanonshootsonlyblanks.tumblr.com/


	3. The Need to Espresso Myself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While in the hospital Steve and Bucky get to known each other a little better. But Bucky has a secret he is not yet willing to share.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised I was faster this time. Also I finally figured out where I am going with this.  
> So updates should be more frequent now. I hope you'll enjoy this chapter and leaves a comment about what you like or what you would like to see. (Or what you didn't like.)
> 
> So enjoy!

 

'So,' Bucky asked after he had recovered enough from the whole 'nuts' incident. 'Any other allergies or ailments I should be wary off?  Just to make sure I don't accidentally kill you with flowers or something. '

'Well,' Steve began, 'You know about my allergy for nuts, that is all nuts, hazelnuts, walnuts, peanuts, cashews, pecans and all  the  other nuts I forgot . Also I am asthmatic and I have other minor allergies, like hay fever and some kinds of detergents make me itchy. I also wear contacts to correct my poor vision. And that's it. I think. There might still be stuff out there that could kill me  that  I don't know about.' 

'Wow, good thing I didn't get you flowers, huh?'

Steve smiled again. 'Yeah, wise decision, and this little guy is way more fun.' He said, holding up the raccoon. 

'That reminds me,' He said, 'What should we call him? I thought Hazelnut might be a good name for him. What do you think?'

'Oh, now you are just making fun of me.' Bucky said, faking anger. 

'Well,  I think a little payback is in order.  Besides the only thing I know about you is your name and your affinity for hazelnuts. We just met , a nd asides from you poisoning me, we don't have a lot to talk about. So why don't you tell me something about yourself. So I can stop making fun of you.'

'Okay, sounds fair.' Bucky said. 'What do you want to know?'

'Let's begin with where you 're  from.' 

'Well, I was born in Brooklyn, New York City. I grew up there, and lived there until yesterday when I moved  here to DC.'

'Funny, I live in Brooklyn  too.  U ntil a few years ag o but it  seems like a lifetime . Moved here for work. What about you?'

'I just needed a change.' Bucky answered  hesitantly , not telling Steve the  whole truth.

Steve seemed to sense his hesitation in answering and didn't press.

'So what kind of work do you do? I am a "haunted artist", as Phil so eloquently put it. I mostly draw and paint.' 

'Yeah, I remember him sayin g that, you could call me an artist too , not a painter, though. I really suck at painting. I write  short stories  mostly.  One or two books, not very successful ones. So I mostly make money writing short stories for children's magazines.  So I can get work pretty much anywhere. How about you? Do you sell your paintings?'

'My paintings don't sell very well. But I occasionally get asked to draw the cover for books. I enjoy that, I get to read the book before anyone else and  while I do that I form a picture in my head of what the character looks like, and what would fit the cover.  What are your stories about? '

'Mostly adventure stories for kids. I  tried to write for adults, but that book didn't even get published so I mostly keep to writing short stories for kids. Haven't written anything in a while, though. One of the reasons I moved away. Maybe a change of scenery will help. 

'It worked for me.' Steve said. 'I hadn't drawn anything in  a year , and then I got a call from a publisher here in DC, they asked if I wanted to draw the covers for a reprint. And I said yes. And that's how I ended up here.

'Maybe you can draw the cover for my book ,  as soon as I write one.' Bucky sais smiling shyly.

'I would like that.' Steve said also smiling.  A little broader than Bucky.

There was a knock on door interrupting Bucky's and Steve's conversation. It was the nurse from before. 

'I am sorry sir, you need to leave, visiting hour is over, your boyfriend needs to re st.' 

Steve looked at Bucky, then the nurse, then Bucky again. Bucky felt his face turn bright red  under Steve's confused look. Then he shook his head,  looking amused.

'Yes, of course, my  boyfriend  and I have something to discuss first. Could you wait outside please? It will only take a minute.' 

The nurse looked him , one eyebrow raised But she gave in.

'One minute and one minute only.'

'Thank you.' He said and after the door closed he continued. 'My boyfriend huh?' 

'Yes, sorry. I am so sorry. I just wanted to go to the hospital with you, to see if you were okay and to apologise and.. and.. and..' Bucky rattled off, looking everywhere but at Steve. Who  looked like he was having the time of his life.

'It wasn't my idea.'  Bucky  continued after a few breaths. 'It was Phil's idea. I just asked if I could come with you, and the paramedic said I could only come if I was family. Which I am obviously not. So I didn't know what to say, but then Phil said I was your boyfriend and then I could come so. Here I am.' He finished sheepishly, staring at his feet.

'That sounds like Phil.' Steve grinned. 'He is always hooking me up with everyone. Although the whole poisoning to get my attention is a first.'

'I hope a last as well.' Bucky said. 'It was not pleasant to see you almost die. I'll go now, before the scary nurse returns and kicks our butts.' 

'Oh, Sharon? Nah, she's sweet. She's my regular nurse. And Bucky? I accept your apology for almost killing me. It wasn't your fault and you more than made up for it. Don't go to o  hard on yourself okay? You look like someone who does that. And you don't deserve it. You didn't know. Okay?'

'Yes, sure, thank you. I am really sorry. I'll go now.' He said, turning to leave.

'Hey!' Steve yelled from his bed stopping Bucky from leaving . 'You own me a cup of coffee sir! I'll pick you up tomorrow whenever they decide to let me go!' 

'I would like that.' Bucky smiled as he followed Sharon to the exit.

* * *

As he stood outside he remembered that he had no car,  and  no way back to his house. He also had no one to call to pick him up. So there was nothing else to do except take the bus. He wandered over to the  bus stop  and scanned to timetable to figure out when the next bus would arrive. 

He star ed  at the sign for a while before he r ealising  that he had no idea what time it was. He hadn't put on his watch this morning, and he didn't have his phone on him.

He had left the apartment at seven to get a cup of coffee and then the whole thing with Steve happened, and then the ambulance ride, and then the hour in the waiting area. So that was at least two hours. And maybe he had spoken with Steve for half an hour. So that made it about nine thirty, ten- ish . That didn’t make for an accurate time, so he decided to head back inside to check  a real clock.

When he saw the clock above the reception he rubbed his eyes, because his sleep deprived mind must be deceiving him. There was no way it was 11  already. He hadn’t spoken with Steve that long, had he? It felt like only half an hour, an hour at most. Not  two.

As if suddenly realising how late it was, Bucky's stomach rumbled. Bucky hadn't eaten anything that day and he was getting hungry. However, he decided against buying something from the hospital cafeteria  judging from the  horrible coffee  it couldn’t be any good . He would wait to get back and then buy something at the  I nitiative, h e seemed to remember some nice sandwiches. 

The bus ride back seemed to take remarkably less time than the journey to the hospital. And Bucky was glad for it. The whole ride his stomach had been making embarrassing growling noises ,  the equivalent  of a bear after hibernation. So he was incredibly glad when the bus pulled up  at his stop. 

He hesitated between going home first to catch a shower or going directly to the Initiative. His hunger won out in the end so he crossed the street and entered the café. 

As soon as the bell rang, announcing his presence, Phil was upon him.

'You, night owl, I forgot your name, how's Steve doing? Is he okay? We need our resident artist back.' 

' Uhm ,' Bucky said, taken aback by the closeness of the other man. 'Steve is doing okay, they say he'll be fine. They'll just keep him overnight to make sure.'

'Good, that's good.' He turned to Sam, who looking incredibly  relieved at the thought the he hadn't killed anyone. 'That means I don't have to report you to the director ,  kid. Lucky for you.' 

He turned back to face Bu cky. 'So can I you anything while you tell me everything?'

After Bucky had passed on his order to Phil, who shouted it out in military code to Sam. He took a seat at the bar, waiting for Sam to get his sandwich ready.

'So,' Phil began, 'Your name is James but everybody calls you Bucky? I do not see the logic in that one.'

Bucky laughed, this wasn't the first time someone asked that question . 

'Well, my first name is James and my second name is Buchanan, I was named after my grandpa. And since James is such a common name it made more sense to go with Buchanan, which  got shortened to Bucky, so  that's why most people call me Bucky.'

'Ah, I see.' Phil nodded.

After that Phil was silent for a while, cleaning up and letting Bucky eat his sandwich in peace. But as soon as he fast finished Phil returned to interrogate Bucky some more.

'So how was your trip to the hospital with Steve? We were all very worried.' He said, waving at people in his café. Most of them had been there that morning too. 'We all know each other pretty well, thanks to my excellent coffee and great theme parties every two weeks. You should go over and introduce yourself. Letting them know  Steve is okay and all. ' 

'Thanks for the tip, but you already told them and I need to get back home and finish unpacking. Or I'll never be able to find my mirror.' He paid for his sandwich and coffee and stood up to leave.

'Hey,' Phil interrupted. 'You never told me about you and Steve!'

'Maybe tomorrow!' Bucky yelled back, smiling to himself.


	4. Just Give It a Shot

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Bucky has a unwanted brush with the past. Steve tries to assemble Ikea furniture. Sam is sorry. And Bucky has an idea.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter starts off a bit angsty, more so than before. But the second half of the fic is much fluffier and funnier. I promise.
> 
> Also about future updates. I am currently on holiday in Denmark and tomorrow we leave for Sweden. So I do not know when exactly I will be able to update again. I will try to do it as frequent as possible but I can't promise anything.
> 
> I further apologize for all the mistakes I made. I typed this chapter completely on my phone and it is messing with the layout. I really, really apologize for the double spacing. But there is nothing I can do about it here. Next chapter will be better, I hope.
> 
> I hope you enjoy this chapter and leave some feedback in the comments. This being my first fic and all. I love hearing from you! So see you next time I have an internet connection.

After  a well  deserved and much needed  shower  Bucky felt  a lot  better . He had even found his  mirror while unpacking that afternoon . 

He was  almost done with the boxes ,  the  last  couple containing mostly  memorabilia  and other  non- essentials . But he had  yet to  start  assembling the furniture . He shot a  glance  at  the instructions for the  couch; he  could  do  that  later. 

So  he  decided to  call  it  a  day and just head to  bed  after dinner . 

He  rummaged through  his closet,  looking for  a shirt  to  sleep in. He found a  grey  NY marathon shirt, he  didn't know  he  still  had. 

That  was  the  shirt he had been  wearing that day . The  blood hadn't come  off  completely .  Staining the shoulders and  front  with rusty brown  spots. 

He  stared  at  the  shirt  for  a  while ,  before throwing it  in  the  back of  the  closet  and  putting on  another .  He  turned  off  the lights and tried to fall asleep . 

Thinking  about  Steve,  not the  shirt. But no  such luck . 

He had  had the dream  a dozen  times before . But  that didn't  make  it any easier . 

_ He was  sitting  at  the  bar,  drinking  a beer,  when someone behind  he  started  yelling. He  didn't understand the words  but  their meaning  was  clear . He  got  up  to leave  but was held back  by  a big,  burly guy .  Bucky raised  his  left  arm  to fend  off  the  attack. The hit  broke  his  bone and  he  fell to  his  knees  in  pain . He was  then  hit on  the head and everything  went black.  _

He  woke  up  bathing  in  sweat and breathing rapidly .  Pain  shot  through  his arm. He  pulled  up his  sleeve to  look at  the scar . It  stretched across  his  whole  arm,  from shoulder to wrist .  There  was  so much  metal in his arm,  it could  have been  robotic . 

He  turned around  in bed,  trying to fall asleep again .  After an hour  of  tossing and turning  he  fell into  a  dreamless  sleep. 

* * *

He  woke the  next  morning  feeling  like  he  hadn't slept  at  all . The  circles around  his  eyes only seemed to  have  gotten darker .

He shot a  glance  at his alarm  clock . 7 AM.  Maybe  he  should  go  for  a run.  To clear  his  head . He  always felt better after  running. 

* * *

When  he  climbed  back up  the stairs an hour  later, he  saw  Steve  sitting  on  the  steps in front of his door. 

'Hey.'  Bucky said . 'How long have  you  been  waiting here ?'

'Hey  yourself !' Steve  said . ' Not very  long,  when you didn't answer your  door, I  asked  Stan  if  he  knew where you were . He  said  he  saw you leave  in running  gear  50 minutes  ago .  So  I  decided to wait .'

'Uhm,  before  we go  for  coffee is  it  okay  if  I take a shower first? I must  smell pretty  bad.'

' You  do  smell  kind of  gross .' Steve  said laughing .  Bucky looked  down at his  shoes and blushed .  'Do  you  want  to wait inside  or are  the  steps  suiting you ?' 

'Well  they  are kind of hard,  so  I  would rather wait inside ,  if it  is  all the same to you .'

'Of course,  come  in.'  Bucky said  as he  opened the  door. ' Don't  mind  the  mess. I  am still unpacking . I  would  say take a  seat  but I  haven't  assembled  the  couch  yet .' 

Steve  laughed . ' This  box  will  do fine,  just  go  and  shower.  I'll wait here .'

* * *

After Bucky's quick  shower, he  returned to the  living room  where  he found Steve on  the ground ,  bend  over  the instructions for the  couch. ' Insert  pin H  into  slot 3.' He  mumbled , holding up a  wooden  pin. ' Except there  is no pin H.'

That  is  when  he  saw Bucky  standing in  the doorway . 'Hey  Bucky , I hope  you don't  mind but  the  box  wasn't agreeing with  me  so  I  decided to try and  fix  your  couch. But these  instructions  are  incomprehensible .' 

'No,  it's  fine. I never get  them either .  That's why  I  haven't  put  anything together yet .  Maybe it will  go  better after  a cup of coffee.' 

' Maybe . But I  can't  have  this  couch  think it  won.  So if you  want, I  can  help  you  put  it together  later.'

'Well,  the two  of  us together  are no match  for one stupid  couch right?'

' Especially after  we had  some  coffee.' Steve  added laughing . 

Together they  went  downstairs to the Initiative to  get a cup.  When  Steve  walked through the  door,  the whole cafe erupted  in  loud yelling and clapping . 

'Steve!' Phil  yelled  ' Welcome  back, we are  all so  glad  you're  okay. Coffee is on  the  house!' 

' Actually ,' Steve  said pointing  at  Bucky . 'Coffee is on  him .'

'Ah, of course.'  Shooting Bucky  a  knowing glance . ' So what can  I get  you two  fine  looking  men ?' 

'Just  give  me a cup of  your  best coffee  with  no  hazelnuts .' Steve  joked . 

'I  will  have a latte.'  Bucky said . 

'Sam!' Phil  yelled to the youth . ' You heard the  men!'

When  Sam had  finished  making  the  coffee. He went over  to  Steve,  head hung  low in  shame . 

'Steve, I  am so  sorry.' He  said .  'I  messed  up  and almost killed you .'

'Hey, listen up buddy.  You didn't  mess up.  Nobody did . It was  an  accident.  You did nothing  wrong.  Don't blame yourself . I  am  fine,  nothing  permanent.  So  get  yourself  a cookie on  this guys  tab  and  let  it  go.'

'Hey,'  Bucky said  in  mock anger . ' Can you  get me a cookie  too ?' 

'Of course sir.'

' Please  call me  Bucky .' 

'Okay  Bucky .' Sam  said ,  beginning to smile again . 

Steve  and Bucky moved towards  a  booth  in  the  back.  They  drank  their  coffee  and talked about the  missing H pin  and their other misadventures while assembling furniture . 

* * *

Their  cups had been  emptied thirty  minutes  ago , but  neither  of  them  had  noticed .  When  Phil  stopped by  a  while  later  to ask if they wanted  a  refill . Both men  seemed to realise how much  time has  passed . 

'No  thank you  Phil. We have a couch  the assemble .' Steve  said . 

'Yes, but I  would  love  some  coffee  to  go.'  Bucky added . 

' Two to  go! ASAP!' He  yelled  at Sam,  who scrambled around trying to comply to  his boss'  wishes . 

* * *

It  took them  3  hours to assemble the  couch.  Laughing and  messing up  the whole .

'How  am  I ever  going to assemble the  rest of  my apartment ?'

'I  don't know .  Maybe you should ask  Tony.  He's  a  mechanic . He  could probably  do  this  in his sleep.'

' Who's  Tony?'  Bucky asked sheepishly .

'Right  you're  new. Well, most of  the people you saw yesterday and today  at  the Initiative  live in  this  building. Tony  lives  in  the  penthouse,  together with  his  girlfriend Pepper .  She's the tall redhead . The professional  looking one ? Tony is  the shorter guy with the goatee .' 

'Oh,  they  are  together ?' ' Yeah ,  they  are a bit of  an odd couple . Tony  used to be sort  of a  womaniser until  he met  Pepper .  They  have been  together for two years now .'

'I  would  never have  guessed . Do want a beer or  anything ?'  Bucky asked . 

'Little  early for that . How  about  we get a hotdog at  the  park.  I'm starving .' 

'Sounds  good ,  here  let me help  you  up.'  Bucky said ,  offering  Steve his hand. 

Steve  took it and applied  a  little  more force  than Bucky  had  anticipated ,  causing him to fall  on top of Steve. 

Both of  them were stunned for  a moment,  Bucky felt  his face go red at  the  close  proximity to  Steve. He  wanted so badly to lean  down  and  kiss  the  blond. Even  though they barely knew each other . It  just felt so  right. 

Steve  seemed oblivious to Bucky's thoughts ,  and  he  started to laugh instead .  Bucky rolled  off Steve  and joined  in  the laughter . 

' You  are a  little stronger than all your illnesses suggest .' He  said between laughs . 

'Well,' Steve  said . 'I train a lot.  Helps with my asthma . Sorry  for that .  Let's  go get  that  hotdog  now .'

' Sure  I  am just not helping you  up  again .'

'Fine  by  me, let me help  you instead .' Steve  said  jumping up  and pulling Bucky to  his  feet . 

'I  will  take  you to the  best hotdog stand in DC.  Don't  get me wrong,  they  have  nothing  on New York hotdogs but  they  are  still incredibly tasty .' 

They  went  to Steve's  hotdog stand,  and Bucky  had  to admit that they were damn good . They were sitting  on a  bench  in  the middle  of  the  park.  Looking  at  the  Memorial in  the distance . 

'I  come here  a lot.' Steve  said . ' To  draw  mostly ,  the  view is  great and early  in  the morning ,  there  is no  one around .'

' What  do  you  draw?'

'The skyline  mostly ,  here I'll  show  you .' He  said ,  fishing  a notebook  from  his pocket. 

Flipping  through it ,  until  he found  what  he was  looking for . It was a  pencil drawing  of  the  Memorial  with the  trees  surrounding  it. It was  incredibly detailed and really good . 

'Wow,  that's  a  wonderful  drawing. I  wish  I  could  do  that . I  can't  even draw stick- figures .'

' Thank you .' Steve  said ,  and it might  have been  Bucky's imagination  but Steve  seemed to blush . 

' Can  I  see the others ?'  Bucky asked . 

'Uhm,  sure .' Steve  said handing  over  the  notebook.  Bucky leaved through it ,  there were lots  of  drawings  of  the  DC skyline, but  also portraits and drawings  of  the interior  of  the Initiative .  Bucky saw  Tony  and  Bruce  laughing  over a cup of coffee  and  most of  the other regulars  as well. 

He  paused  at  the  last drawing. It was a man  sitting  at  the  bar of  the Initiative .  Looking  over his  shoulder . The  likeness  was  incredible .

' You drew  me.'  Bucky said stunned . 

'Yes, I hope  you don't  mind. I  usually  sketch at  the cafe . I  only got  a few  lines  down  before you know what happened . But I  finished it  at  the hospital after you left .' 

'It's okay. It's  really good .'

' Thank you , I had  trouble with your eyes though .  This drawing doesn't  do  them justice .' Steve  said , his  eyes fixed  on  the  horizon. 

They sat like that for  a  while . Thinking,  not saying anything , but  it  was  not uncomfortable  or  awkward . 

That's when Bucky  had  an idea . He  jumped  up,  surprising  Steve  who jumped  in his  seat . 

' Jeez ,  Bucky ,  what  was  that about ?  You could  have  given  me a  heart  attack.' 

'I  just  had  an idea for  a new story. I  haven't  had  any ideas for  a long time. I  am  sorry, I have  to  go  write this  down. We  should  do  this again sometime . See  you around !'  Bucky said , as he  practically ran away and left  a  stunned  Steve on  the  park  bench .


	5. All Froth, No Substance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hai... Long time no see, huh? Five months officially counts as a long time.  
> I just had trouble finding the motivation to keep writing. But I am back no and to make up for my absence have a extra long chapter. 
> 
> I hope the wait was worth it and that you like this chapter, I have rewritten it 4 times and this was the best I could do.
> 
> Please comment. It really helps with the motivation. I also love hearing your ideas, so please send them!
> 
> Now enjoy this chapter that you have been waiting five months for.

Once Bucky got home, he fished his laptop from one of the boxes in his bedroom and started typing. Documenting the idea that had come to him in the park, adding on it, expending the single idea into a story. It slowly got dark around him, but Bucky didn’t notice.

The next morning, he woke up with his face pressed to the keyboard, he sat up rubbed his eyes, trying to figure out what had woken him up. Then there was a knock on his front door, quickly followed by another one.

Bucky got up and stretched, slowly picking his way across the apartment, trying not the trip over some box of unassembled furniture. He shot a glance at the clock Steve had hung up for him the day before: 10. And judging by the light outside, AM.

When he opened the door, he was greeted by a gigantic cup of coffee and an even larger blond. ‘Morning.’ Steve greeted cheerily ‘I figured you could use this,’ he said, handing over the steaming cup to Bucky, who gratefully accepted.

‘Mhm, thank you.’ He said after he swallowed a sip of hot coffee. ‘You figured right.’

‘Up all night huh? That’s what I thought. And you fell asleep on your keyboard I take it?’

Bucky rubbed his cheek self-consciously, hoping the make the imprint said keyboard had left disappear. ‘Yeah, about four hours ago I think, it was already light outside.’

‘So, I’ll leave you to it then.’ Steve said walking over to the stairs.

‘Wait, let me at least get you back for the coffee.’ Bucky called after Steve, who was already three steps down.

‘No need,’ Steve smiled ‘Consider it my gift to your creativity. God knows I can’t function without it.’

‘Thanks, see you around!’

And with that Bucky retreated back into his apartment, nursing his cup of coffee. He sat back down at his desk, waking his laptop to see how much damage his face had done to his story.

Luckily it wasn’t that bad, just a bunch of random letters at the end of the file. And with the backspace button that was easily resolved. He reread what he wrote yesterday, sipping his coffee slowly and letting the caffeine do its work.

Once the cup was empty, he felt a lot better, more awake and alert. It was also when he realised how empty his stomach felt. He hadn’t eaten anything last night or this morning, and his stomach was very aware of that fact. So there was nothing else to do but go grocery shopping. Seeing as he had eaten all the food he had brought with him.

One problem: he had no idea where the nearest grocery store was. Not knowing who else to ask, he called Steve, who had given him his number the day before.

After two rings he picked up.

‘Morning Bucky. Forgot something?’ The blond said teasingly.

‘Actually yeah, I remembered that I had no food in this place and that I don’t know where the nearest grocery store is.’

‘Forgot to eat?’ Steve sounded a little more serious now.

‘Yeah, when I have an idea it is crucial to write it down before I forget it, and I just kept adding stuff. Yesterday I wrote more than I usually write in a month. So dinner was lost in my creative flash.’

‘I understand. But you should really eat something. There is a supermarket right around the corner. You just leave your building and turn right. Can’t miss it.’

‘Thanks Steve, see you around, I guess.’

‘No problem, don’t forget to eat!’

Smiling at Steve’s concern for his wellbeing Bucky ended the call. He decided that it was probably a good idea to shower before he went outside. Seeing as he was probably in full raccoon mode again.

Once showered and dressed, he threw on his jacket and went out in search of the supermarket, which wasn’t much of a search. Steve had been right, the supermarket was hard to miss. When turning the corner Bucky almost knocked over one of the supermarket’s signs.  

He grabbed a basket and started selecting the products he needed to stay alive for the next couple of days. He decided to keep things simple; just spaghetti with some sauce, canned soup and maybe some salad. He needed to make the most of this flash of inspiration, so good food wasn’t really his priority.

Walking through the coffee and tea aisle he thought of Steve, who had brought him coffee, helped him put his couch together and got left behind in the park when Bucky felt a creative flash coming. He should do something nice back for him.

 _‘Maybe I should make him dinner.’_ Bucky thought to himself. But that might be weird. They just met each other a couple of days ago. And although Bucky knew he wanted to be more than just friends with the blond, he couldn’t tell if Steve felt the same way. Sure, there were moments when he thought Steve might feel the same, but it was very likely that he was just being friendly.

So that was a no for inviting the blond to dinner. Maybe he could come up with something else he could do to thank Steve later. He proceeded to checkout and paid for his groceries.

Walking home with two paper bags filled with groceries, he passed the café. He saw Steve sitting in his booth. Talking to a pretty blonde. Bucky’s heart fell. Who was she? Steve’s girlfriend? Sister? Just a friend? There was so much he didn’t know about Steve. He should ask Phil when he got the change.

Putting himself together again, he told himself not to jump to conclusions and returned to his apartment. After he had put away his groceries and polished of a large omelette with cheese he felt much better. Momentarily forgetting about Steve and his possible girlfriend, he went back to working on his story.

The rest of the week was pretty much the same: trips to the supermarket, short runs in the park and, of course, trips to the Initiative. He had taken to bringing his laptop with him. The Initiative was the perfect environment to work on his story. It smelled deliciously of coffee and baked goods, Phil always gave him a free refill and free information about everyone that frequented the café. His constant attempts to take a peek at Bucky’s story were a small price to pay.

That Saturday afternoon he finally got Phil alone. The café was relatively empty and Steve was nowhere in sight. Time to ask Phil about Steve’s possible girlfriend.

‘Phil?’ Bucky asked tentatively ‘Can I ask you something? It’s.. uh,.. personal.’ Phil immediately dropped everything and sat down across from Bucky.

‘Those are the best kind! Ask away. ’

‘Well, earlier this week Steve was her with a woman, pretty, blonde. Do you know who she is?’

‘Tuesday’s? Uhm, probably Sharon. She and Steve used to date. But they are still pretty friendly. Why? You interested?’

 _Yes,_ Bucky thought, _in Steve._ Unbeknownst to Bucky, that was exactly the blond Phil meant. And with that Phil went back to work and left Bucky to overthink what this meant for his crush on Steve.

It didn’t have to mean anything. Maybe he was a closet case, or maybe he was bi. Or it could mean everything. That the attraction was one-sided, and this whole thing was doomed.

Just when Bucky was spiralling down the bad thoughts train, Steve walked in. When he spotted Bucky a smile appeared on his face. But Bucky was still too lost in thoughts to notice. Only when Steve was standing right next to him he looked up at the smiling blond.

‘Hey Bucky,’ the blond said ‘still writing I see. Would you mind if I sat here and drew for a while?’

‘No, sit down. Just don’t try to sneak a peek of what I am writing, like Phil in constantly doing.’

‘What did you say about me?’ The man in question yelled from behind the counter. ‘If it was something mean, I am cutting you off from free refills. No hesitation.’

Steve and Bucky laughed. ‘No worries Phil, Bucky was just telling me about your annoying habit to stick your nose in people’s unfinished work.’

‘No free refills for you Mr. Rogers!’ Phil added indignantly. ‘I do not stick my nose where it doesn’t belong. I do reconnaissance. And your friend won’t tell me what he’s writing about. And I don’t like secrets. Except my own of course. And those of the American government.’ He gave the two men a secretive wink and went back to yelling some more at Sam.

‘So are you still working on the thing you came up with in the park?’ Steve asked. ‘Inspiration hasn’t run out yet?’

‘Yeah, I’m still working on it. It is the first idea I’ve had in a while that actually makes me feel happy to be a writer again.’

Steve nodded like he understood what that was like. And being an artist himself he probably did.

‘So I know you won’t tell Phil, but can I ask you what it is about?’

‘You can, but I won’t tell you.’ Bucked smiled. ‘I don’t like showing people unfinished work, because it always changes and they might not like the new version.’

‘I understand. I don’t like it either when people go through my sketches and paintings without asking. It makes me feel self-conscious.’ Steve said, eyes downcast, looking at his sketchbook. ‘I am just very curious about what could possibly be interesting enough to ditch me and run home.’

Bucky smiled knowingly, ‘You’ll just have to wait and see, then when it’s finished you’ll be the first in line. Deal?’

‘Deal.’ Steve said, shaking Bucky’s outstretched hand. ‘Anyway, I am here because I wanted to ask you something. Tonight’s the first baseball game of the season and I used to watch it Tony and Clint, but since Tony has gotten married and Clint started dating, they stopped showing up.’ Steve said wringing his hands a little. ‘So what I wanted to ask is if _you_ would you be up for a night of beers and baseball?’

Bucky needed a moment to process the request. Had Steve really just asked him to watch a game _together_? As in just the two of them? Realising that was indeed the case, Bucky opened his mouth to answer, but Steve had taken Bucky’s moment of silence as hesitation.  
  
‘It’s okay if you don’t want to. I just thought you might enjoy it.’

‘No, I’d love to come. I love baseball and beer.’ _And you._ Bucky added silently. ‘So tonight, should I bring anything?’

‘Just yourself.’ Steve said, sounding relieved. ‘I have everything taken care off. So around 8?’

‘8 is fine. One problem though. I know you live across the street from me, but that is not going to be enough information for me to find your apartment tonight.’

‘Damn,’ Steve smiled, ‘I hoped you’d forget to ask, and just ring every bell until you find my apartment. But you saw through my dastardly plan to make a fool out of yourself.’ Steve joked. ‘Guess I’ll have to tell you my master plan now.’

‘How very movie villainy of you. So where is your evil lair located?’

‘The apartment building next door from here. Apartment 3A.’ Steve said with a smile.

‘Do I have to bypass your security? Laser grids and stuff like that.’

‘Nah, there is a raccoon guarding the door, though. Don’t let him bite you. It makes upsets his stomach.’

‘Very funny,’ Bucky said, remembering the stupid stuffed animal he had given Steve for almost poisoning him.

Steve laughingly stood up and was almost out the door when he turned around. ‘See you later!’ He said, throwing Bucky a smile and a little wave.

Bucky smiled and waved back. Mentally slapping himself for falling so hard and fast for the blond. He too packed up his laptop and got ready to go home. He had a lot to do before 8 that night. Most importantly he needed to figure out if Steve was into guys and then if he was into one specific brunet that had just moved in.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have any more funny coffee related puns for the chapter titles please send them too, I am running out.


	6. Sorry I Am Latte

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Pretends I haven't been gone for six months*  
> Hello Readers! It is I, the person who can't finish anything! I am so sorry for how embarrassingly long it took for me to update. I had real troubles writing this chapter because I had no idea what I wanted to happen. And then midterms happened and then finals happened and suddenly it was June and I was still stuck on chapter 6. But I figured it out now, and I graduated high school, so I hope I'll be able to get the next one up a little sooner than six months. Let's say two. At the most.
> 
> Anyway, thanks for your continued support. It is the reason I even started this again!
> 
> Ps. This chapter title is incredibly fitting. And I totally mean it too.

Bucky was in a state that could only be described as mild panic and that was _before_ he discovered that it was almost eight.

He had spent the whole afternoon trying to come up with an action plan for the evening. He really wanted to make a good first impression on Steve, which was ridiculous as they had already met several times before, and the first time they _actually_ met he landed Steve in the hospital. So that ship had sailed.

That didn’t make Bucky any less panicky, he decided that he should try to subtly figure out if Steve was bi. He had come up with a list of stupid plans. While making dinner, the plan had been to get raging drunk and just ask him. While eating said dinner, that plan was taken out and shot, and replaced by only getting a little drunk and ask about his exes. That was a pretty sound plan, if it didn’t also pose the risk of Steve asking about Bucky’s exes, and that was a no go. So that one didn’t make it either.

The plan he came up with in the shower was to just drop hints all night and let Steve figure it out. Which looked good on paper but Bucky was about as subtle as a sledgehammer when it came to flirting.

So with the clock striking eight, he was going to be late and without a plan.  He threw on some clothes and hoped that he could just wing it without making too big a fool out of himself.

He flew down the stairs, startling Stan the doorman, and was on the other side of the street in a flash. He thought he could still limit the damage, but of course the elevator in Steve’s building wasn’t working, so he ran up three flights of stairs faster than he’d ever done.

He paused in front of Steve’s door, trying to even his now rapid breathing. He was just about to knock, when he spotted the little stuffed raccoon sitting on a stool in the corner. Smiling he picked it up and he felt his nerves calm.

He was going to spend an evening with Steve. The guy he had _poisoned_ when they first met, and he had still wanted to be his friend afterwards. There was absolutely no reason to be nervous, if almost killing the guy didn’t do it, there was probably nothing he could do to mess up this friendship

He put a smile on his face and knocked on the door of apartment 3A. He quickly combed his fingers though his hair, when he suddenly heard a loud bang followed by a string of curses. A few seconds later the door was thrown open.

Bucky smiled impossibly wider when the door opened to show an embarrassed looking Steve. His shirt was covered in paint, and judging from the mess behind him, he had knocked a still wet painting of its easel.

‘Hi, Bucky, come in. Careful for that painting.’ He said with a wry smile. ‘The paint is still wet.’

‘Yes I can see that.’ Eyes fixed on Steve’s, now ruined, shirt. ‘Anyway, I found this little guy guarding your door, but he doesn’t seem very aggressive.’ He said, handing over the stuffed animal.

‘Hmm, he normally claws everyone’s eyes out.’ Steve mused, ‘He must like you.’ He added, smiling, stepping aside to let Bucky in.

Once inside Bucky looked around, the apartment was messy, but cosily so. There were paintings and blank canvasses everywhere. Paintbrushes were strewn over, what seemed to be, the dinner table.

Steve closed the door behind him and walked over to the fallen painting. He slowly put it back on its easel, inspecting the landscape for damages. The paint was kind of smudged, but the scene was still recognisable, eerily so.

Amidst a cluster of dark greens and dull greys, were the two of them in vibrant color, sitting on the park bench. They seemed to leap of the canvas.

‘You like it?’ Steve asked, noticing where Bucky’s gaze had landed. 

‘It’s amazing.’ Bucky said truthfully. ‘I really like the colors.’

‘Thanks. I like it too.’ Steve said softly.

‘So why did you drop it?’ Bucky teased.

‘You startled me.’ Steve said with a hint of embarrassment.

‘I startled you? You knew I was coming. You invited me over.’

‘I did,’ Steve added sheepishly, ‘but I had no idea that it was this late already. I always forget the time when I am painting. So when I heard you knocking it startled me, and I bumped into the painting. Knocking it off the easel.’

Bucky laughed, stepping closer to Steve and placing his hand on the blond’s shoulder. ‘It is a really good painting, even if it’s a little smudged. Nothing you can’t fix.’

That finally got a smile out of Steve. ‘Yeah, you’re right. But the game is about to start, so I’ll go get a clean shirt and you can clear some crap off the couch, so we can actually sit and watch. I’ll be back in a sec.’

Steve disappeared behind a door. And Bucky did as he was told, and began clearing stuff off the couch.

He tried not to pay too much attention to the sketches he was collecting, as not to invade Steve’s privacy, but it was hard not to. The blond was really talented and even his rough sketches were impressive. There were plenty of landscapes and skylines, but the drawings of people were by far the most interesting.

Just as Bucky had gathered all the sketches, Steve walked out of the bedroom wearing a white tee that was obviously two sized to small. His abs were clearly visible through the tight shirt and as it rode up a bit so was a tiny strip of tanned skin.

Bucky immediately proceeded to drop newly gathered sketches and scatter them all over the floor. He quickly bent down to pick them back up and while doing so, tried to will the blush from his cheeks.

When his face felt a little less hot and he had collected all the drawings again, he straightened up, finding Steve with his back turned and rummaging through the fridge in the small kitchen area of the apartment.  

‘You want a beer?’ Steve asked, pulling two from the fridge before Bucky could answer. Holding it out for him, Bucky took it with his free hand, attempting to twist the top off with one hand. Seeing him struggle, Steve took the pile of drawings from him and put them with the others on the kitchen table.

‘You just sit, I’ll get the chips and dip.’ He said, all but pushing Bucky onto the couch, while making his way back to the kitchen area.  

He reappeared a few moments later, arms laden with tortilla chips and a big bowl of, what looked like guacamole. He tossed a bag of chips at Bucky, who caught it easily.

‘Open this will you? I just need to find the remote.’

A handful of corn chips later, Steve had finally found the remote and pulled it from underneath a stack of charcoal sketches.

Victoriously, he held it above his head. ‘Aha! Just were I left it.’ He smiled at Bucky, who just shook his head and proceeded to stuff more chips into his mouth.

Steve flopped down on the couch, entirely to close and still too far away for Bucky’s comfort. Once Steve had found the right channel they settled into a comfortable silence.

They stayed like that for a while until Bucky made the mistake of trying the dip. He took one bite and almost spat it all out again. It was definitely supposed to be guacamole, however there seemed to be twelve whole red peppers in there and about ten other ingredients it shouldn’t contain.

He swallowed the stuff as best as he could, but Steve noticed his pained expression anyway.

‘You okay Bucky?’ He asked concerned, noticing the tears in his eyes.

‘Yeah fine.’ Bucky managed to croak out after a swig of his beer. ‘What did you put in that?’ He asked, pointing at the dip sauce.

‘Oh, just this and that. You like it?’ Steve expression was so adorable that Bucky thought about lying, but it would be too obvious. However, he didn’t want to hurt the blond’s feelings.

‘It’s a little too spicy for my taste.’ He said, trying to sound like he meant it.

‘It can’t be that hot, can it?’ He reached for the bowl and scooped some onto a chip. As soon as the dip laden chip passed his lips, tears sprung in his eyes.

‘Oh god.’ He mumbled, trying to wash it down with beer. ‘That is horrible.’

‘Yes, it kind of is.’ Bucky laughed. ‘Seriously, what did you put in there?’

‘Uhm, avocados, some red peppers, garlic, uhm, some mustard and a little soy sauce. The normal stuff.’ He looked entirely serious while he said all this, and Bucky felt bad about laughing, but he couldn’t help it.

‘Soy sauce? Why would you put soy sauce in guacamole? Seriously Steve, why?’ Bucky managed to say in between laughs.

Steve shrugged, smiling himself now too. ‘It seemed like a good idea at the time.’ And after a small pause he added, ‘I don’t really know how to cook.’

He looked so adorable Bucky melted a little inside. And before he had the chance to think it over, he said ‘I could teach you.’

Immediately Steve’s smile became about a 100 Watt brighter. ‘Really? You’d do that?’

Bucky could slap himself for offering. _Why had he said that?_ He could just about make pasta, he wasn’t a good cook by anyone’s standards and he really wasn’t good enough to teach anyone else. This would turn into a disaster. He was sure of it. But on the other hand, this was a great way to spend more time with Steve.

So instead of the “no” he should probably have used, he found himself saying ‘Yes, of course, I would gladly teach you how to cook, as it is really for my own benefit. That dip is lethal.’

They both looked down at the deadly concoction before bursting out in laughter again.

‘You know,’ Bucky said, putting his hand on Steve’s arm, ‘I should probably report you to Phil. I am pretty sure the recipe for that dip is classified as a bioweapon.’

‘Please don’t report me to Phil.’ Steve said, faking fright ‘He would never give me a free refill ever again. And how could I produce more of this amazing art without caffeine?’

This caused Bucky to laugh so hard the beer came out of his nose, which caused Steve to do the same and pretty soon they both were a giggling mess on the floor. The game going on without their knowledge.

After a while, they had finally calmed down enough to sit back up again, and turn their focus back on the screen, were their team was leading with 5 runs.  

‘So, I guess I should banish this guacamole to the trash.’ Steve said, gingerly picking up the bowl, and holding it as far away from himself as possible, all while making a face. ‘You want another beer while I’m there?’ He said over his shoulder.

Bucky looked at the empty bottles before him. Had he really drunk three beers already?

‘Sure, we have another 2, 2? Innings to go. How is it already the seventh inning?’

‘This dip must have time altering qualities.’ Steve joked while scraping out the bowl above the trashcan. Bucky tried to watch the game, but somehow Steve scraping out a bowl was more interesting than the homerun being hit on screen.  

They once again settled into a companionable silence broken only when one of them felt the need to yell at the screen, or cheer on their team.

After the game ended, their team had won by seven runs, Bucky offered to help Steve clean up, but the blond would have none of it.

‘There is barely any mess. I can’t cook, but I sure can clean up some empty beer bottles. Speaking about cooking, when do you want to start the cooking lessons? I am free pretty much always.’

‘Yeah me too.’ Bucky said ‘Being a freelancer and all. Does Tuesday work for you? I could come over at 5 and we could go to the store together to buy everything we need.’

‘Tuesday sounds great.’ Steve smiled again, that adorable half smile he did, which always made Bucky smile as well. ‘You want to cook here or at your place?’ The blonde added.

Bucky looked around Steve’s tiny but colorful apartment. ‘Let’s do it here. My place is still kind of a mess and it is probably more comfortable for you to do it over here. Home advantages and all’

‘You still haven’t unpacked all the boxes?’ Steve inquired.

‘I did unpack all my boxes, I just haven’t finished building all the cupboards yet, so stuff is kind of everywhere. I tried to do it, but as soon as I start inspiration strikes and I need to go write that down. So it isn’t really going very fast.’

‘If you need any help you call me okay? We did a pretty good job on that couch together.’

Bucky, trying to ignore the picture his mind had just conjured up at the words ‘good job on the couch together’ nodded as an answer.  

‘I’ll see you around.’ Steve said ‘I had a really great time tonight, can’t wait for our cooking lesson. I’ll try not to burn the kitchen down before then.’

After saying goodnight to Steve, he walked back home. The panic from early creeping back in. He had really done it now. He seriously needed to study some recipes before he made a complete ass out of himself on Tuesday. He groaned and once again mentally kicked himself for his big mouth.


	7. Making a Moccary of Cooking

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Longest chapter yet! I thought of cutting it in two, but because of my lacks updating, I decided you deserved a long chapter.  
> A little warning. There is approximately a sentence of plot in this chapter, so don't read to fast or you might miss it. 
> 
> Enjoy!

By Monday morning, Bucky was, once again, a nervous wreck. He had woken up at five that morning, after a series of horrible dreams involving exploding saucepans, the fire brigade showing up, and the most horrible one of all: Steve looking at him in disappointment.

Then, since he was already awake, he decided to go back online to find a recipe he could make but still looked impressive. It was hopeless, he had spent his whole Sunday online, looking for such a recipe and came up with nothing.

Another three hours spent online yielded the same result: nothing. His sleep deprived mind was, once again, running wild with possible scenarios for tomorrow night. None of the good most of them awful.

One incredibly bad one revolved about Bucky cutting his own arm off while simultaneously setting fire to the kitchen and Steve dying from eating the food.

The vivid detail in which he saw all of it happening in his mind, was alarming enough for Bucky to finally push his laptop away from him. Staring at his screen wasn’t going to help, so maybe coffee would.

Bucky got up and looked into his mirror. Raccoon eyes: check. Permanently tousled hair: double check. He decided to clean himself up a bit _after_ he got some caffeine in his system.

On his way over to the Initiative, his mind kept wandering back to all the horrible scenarios it had cooked up earlier. Consequently, he wasn’t really paying attention to his surroundings.

He didn’t notice the door of the Initiative opening or the petite redhead carrying a triple caramel latte walking through it and coming right at him, until it was too late.

He barreled straight into her and coffee went flying everywhere.

‘Shit. I am so, so sorry.’ Bucky exclaimed while trying to keep his, now drenched, shirt away from his skin. When he looked up the redhead was scowling at him, somehow not a drop of coffee on her.

‘Don’t you watch where you’re going?’ She said in a tone of voice so icy and with a stare so full of anger that he took a physical step back.

She was about a head shorter than him, but she radiated some kind of dangerous energy, that made Bucky weak at the knees. This was a woman he didn’t want to cross. He worked up the nerve to open his mouth and muttered another apology.

‘I am really sorry. I wasn’t paying attention, let me buy you a new coffee. I am so sorry.’

She seemed to consider the offer, her eyes narrowing. Bucky was scared for a moment that she was going to attack him, but then the corners of her lips turned upwards and a small smile appeared.

‘You better.’

Bucky released a breath, he hadn’t known he’d been holding and followed her inside.

The little bell alerted Phil to their entrance and as soon as he saw Bucky’s drenched shirt, he all but vaulted over the bar to dab at Bucky’s shirt with a wet towel.

‘What happened?’ He asked while wiping whipped cream of Bucky’s shirt, making an even bigger mess.

Before Bucky could explain what had happened, the redhead spoke up.

‘This idiot “wasn’t paying attention” and walked straight into me, spilling my coffee.’ She didn’t actually do the air quotes, but it sounded like she had.

Phil looked up from the mess that used to be Bucky’s shirt and shot him a concerned look.

‘Are you all right Bucky? You look like hell and I haven’t seen you around the last couple of days. Have you been ill?’

Bucky was touched by his concern, but he couldn’t really tell him that he looked this bad because he couldn’t cook, while he told Steve he could, or could he? He didn’t want to lie to Phil. So instead he said nothing, stilling Phil’s hand and sinking down onto a barstool.

Phil threw the dirty towel at Sam, who hadn’t been expecting it and got a face full of whipped cream and coffee. Phil hopped over the counter and looked Bucky in the eyes.

‘What happened with Steve Saturday evening?’ He asked, causing Bucky to look up in surprise and confusion. How had Phil known? Was he really that transparent?

He sighed. ‘How did you know?’

‘Well, Steve invited you over Saturday night to watch the game, I didn’t see you all day yesterday and now you are here looking like hell. Also I used to work for the government, I know everything.’

The redhead shot Phil an annoyed look, she was obviously well versed in Phil’s ‘I used to be a spy’ tirades. But then she narrowed her eyes and turned to Bucky.

‘ _You’re_ the Bucky Steve is always going on about? The one that is so amazing and nice, he seriously won’t stop talking about you. You are _that_ Bucky?’ She made a face. ‘We must have different definitions of amazing.’

Phil looked at her sternly, a look that probably made all sorts of criminals confess to everything, but just made Natasha shrug.

‘He did spill _my_ coffee all over himself.’ She offered. ‘Speaking about coffee, I’ll have my usual, _again_.’ She shot a pointed look at Bucky then. ‘And he’ll be paying.’ She pointed her thumb at him in an offhand manner.

‘I am paying for everyone’s coffee these days.’ Bucky muttered to himself. Somehow Phil still heard him and shot him a sympathetic smile.

‘So, Bucky.’ He said, putting a steaming cup of coffee in front of him. ‘You gonna tell us what happened?

_What the hell,_ Bucky thought. _It can’t possible can’t any worse._

‘Saturday night I promised Steve I’d teach him how to cook, only problem is, I can’t cook.’ He looked down at his coffee, silently awaiting judgement.

It took a couple of seconds but then the laughing started.

‘That is the best thing I’ve heard all week.’ The redhead laughed ‘Why, why would you do that? Wait. Did he make one of his awful dips for you?’ One look at Bucky’s face told her all she needed to know. ‘He did, didn’t he?’ She shook her head laughingly.

‘Okay, you know what _Bucky_ ’ She said once she had gotten her laughing under control. ‘For my own protection and because you’ll be doing all of us a favor, I’ll teach you how to cook. I’m Natasha by the way. I have a recipe that even a klutz like you can pull off.’

_Natasha,_ Bucky thought _I know that name._ And then it clicked. Steve had talked about her, even pointed her out to him in the café once. But in all his desperation, he hadn’t recognized her till right now.

‘You’d really help me?’ He asked, a little wary of her still.

‘See it as self-preservation, his cooking truly is atrocious.’

‘Even after I spilled your coffee?’

She shrugged. ‘Most of it got on you anyway.’ She smiled at him and Bucky felt himself relax for the first time in two days.

He would have something to cook with Steve and it seemed he had made a new friend as well.

Natasha wrote a detailed lasagna recipe on a napkin for him and told him which ingredients would work the best. They had another cup of coffee and Natasha walked him through the process of making the lasagna, but just to be sure she urged Bucky to make it at least once himself before teaching it to Steve.

So that’s why Bucky left the Initiative at eleven to go grocery shopping for lasagna ingredients.

As soon as he was gone, Natasha and Phil shared a knowing look. They knew, even if the men in question didn’t yet, that Steve and Bucky belonged together and that it was only a question of time before one of them worked up the nerve to actually confront their feelings. And till then, there was nothing they could do except sip coffee and give them a nudge in the right direction once in a while.

********************

For the first time in days, Bucky had a good night of sleep. And best of all, he wasn’t feeling anxious anymore. The recipe Natasha gave him was perfect: it was easy to make and it tasted delicious.

After having a slice for dinner, he carried to pan of lasagna over to the Initiative to offer Phil a piece and to ask him if he knew where Natasha lived. As it turned out, she lived a floor below him so he got to carry the lasagna back upstairs again.

She smiled widely when he presented her with the lasagna and said that she couldn’t detect any immediate flaws in his cooking, so he was probably good to cook for Steve, who, according to her, ‘Couldn’t tell pasta from spaghetti.’

So he woke up Tuesday morning feeling totally relaxed and ready to teach Steve to make this lasagna.

By four, his nerves started to kick in again, but they weren’t the paralyzing fear kind of nerves. They were more excited, giddy nerves in anticipation of getting to hang out with Steve.

He dressed in his nicest jeans, put on a button-down he had _actually_ ironed and even brushed his hair. Thanks to a good night of sleep the circles beneath his eyes were less pronounced, and he could confidently say this was the best Steve had ever seen him.

At exactly five, he knocked on Steve’s door and was let into the apartment by a very cute looking Steve.

He was wearing another shirt that was about two sizes too small – Bucky made a mental note to thank the manufacturer for those shirts- with a black pair of jeans that just looked great on him. But by far the cutest thing was how big he was smiling when Bucky walked into his living room.

Steve had obviously tried to clean up a bit, there was less clutter on the table and the couch, he had hung up some of his paintings, and judging by the smell, he had actually cleaned the kitchen for tonight.

‘You cleaned.’ Bucky said, Steve beamed at him, obviously pleased that Bucky had noticed.

‘I did, and I didn’t even throw a painting on the ground when you knocked this time.’

‘Progress!’ Bucky said while they both laughed.

Steve offered him a drink but Bucky declined, saying they could drink while cooking.

‘Right, so what are we making tonight chef?’ He asked, rummaging through his cabinets for a shopping bag.

‘I was thinking lasagna, it is easy for a beginner like yourself and still incredibly tasty.’

Steve, having finally found what he was looking for, gave him a thumbs up and said; ‘That sounds delicious. Let’s go!’

They walked to the supermarket side by side, a little closer than was perhaps strictly necessary, which caused their hands to brush occasionally, sending sparks up Bucky’s arm every time.

In the supermarket, he sent Steve to gather all the needed ingredients while he pushed the cart around. It shouldn’t have taken more than half an hour, but Steve insisted on grabbing each ingredient individually and asking questions about competing brands of products, which Bucky tried to answer to the best of his ability.

Then, Steve tried to juggle with the tomatoes and proceeded by promptly dropping all of them making them splash apart on the ground. Bucky tried really hard not to laugh when the manager asked Steve exactly how old he was, and Steve staring bashfully at his feet while muttering apologies under his breath.

So that is why they returned to Steve’s apartment over an hour later than planned, while laughing loudly.

‘He was almost as red as the tomatoes you dropped.’ Bucky laughed, while pushing Steve good naturedly against the shoulder. Normally, he wouldn’t dare touch a guy he was interested in without it being explicitly clear that the interest was returned. But he just felt so comfortable with Steve he couldn’t help it.

‘I still don’t get why he was so angry.’ Steve said while unlocking the door. ‘It was just a couple of tomatoes, no need to get so worked up.’

‘You do know you need to shop there again, right?’ Bucky said, dropping the overflowing shopping bag on the kitchen counter. Beside him Steve, who had been doing the same, stilled.

‘Shit, did not think of that. Oh well,’ he said, shrugging his shoulders. ‘I can always find another supermarket, I didn’t really like their fresh produce anyway, their tomatoes are way too ripe’ This launched Bucky into another fit of laughs, which caused Steve to laugh, which caused Bucky to laugh even harder. All this before even a drop of alcohol.

Trying to right that blatant lack of alcohol in their systems, Steve offered him another drink, which he took happily this time.

He had Steve cut up the celery and the carrots, while he was busy making the béchamel sauce. In between Bucky’s instruction to Steve, they talked about sports and work, all the while sipping their beers.

Once it was time to layer the lasagna, they had each about consumed two beers, and were well over half on their third.

‘So lasagna first, than the meat and then the béchamel.’ Bucky instructed while showing Steve at the same time. The blond was paying close attention and mimicked Bucky’s movements perfectly.

With the lasagna in the oven and the alarm set for an hour, they sat down on the couch with a fresh set of beers.

Steve talked a little about living in DC and how it was different from his life in New York.

‘So that is why you should not eat near any of the main tourist attractions in DC but it is fine to do it in New York. It took a while to figure that out once I moved here. Speaking about moving here, why did you?’

Bucky had known this question would inevitably be asked at some point, but that didn’t mean he was ready for it. He rubbed the scars on his left arm. He had rolled up the sleeves of his shirt while cooking so the scar was clearly visible. He tried to press to memories that came flooding back whenever he thought about his time in New York, back into the dark corner they were supposed to be. It didn’t work.

‘Well..’ He started, not looking up at Steve, still rubbing his scar. ‘It is kind of a long story.’

Steve put his hand on the hand that was rubbing the scar, causing Bucky to look Steve in the eyes. There was nothing but genuine care and concern there and Bucky felt the bad memories fade to the background.

‘You don’t have to tell if you don’t want to.’ He said, still not taking his hand of Bucky’s.

Bucky took a deep breath. ‘It is just complicated’ He lied. ‘I don’t like talking about it.’ Truth. ‘I’ll tell you some other time.’ Probable lie.

Steve finally pulled back, obviously thinking of something to say next. He didn’t have to, as the alarm signaling the lasagna was done sounded right at that moment.

‘That will be the lasagna.’ Bucky said, trying to regain some of the levity they had before the New York question.

Once they entered the kitchen the scent of lasagna washed over them.

‘Wow that smells great.’ Steve said, pulling on a pair of oven mitts so ridiculous, that Bucky couldn’t help but laugh.

‘What?’ Steve asked smilingly. ‘Is it the oven mitts?’ He held up his in oven mitts encased hands. ‘You don’t like bald eagles?’ He asked moving his thumb, so that it looked like the eagle was closing its beak.

‘Where did you get those?’ Bucky asked, still laughing at the ridiculous cooking equipment.

‘Gag gift from Natasha. But joke’s on her. I actually like them.’ He snapped the beak closed another few times for emphasis. Even reaching out to pinch Bucky in the arm with it.

Bucky jumped back to protect himself from the bald eagle attack. ‘Just get the lasagna out of the oven, George Washington.’ He joked, the earlier awkwardness forgotten.

‘It does smell delicious.’ Steve said. So he abandoned torturing Bucky and got the lasagna from the oven.

It did look pretty great and it tasted even better. They both ate two slices and Steve kept complimenting him on his cooking, and Bucky kept saying he hadn’t done anything and that Steve had done it all on his own. They continued this until they were both blushing, but that might also have been the three beers they had consumed during dinner.

It was pretty late when they finished eating and cleaning up, they were also both pretty drunk from the continuous beer drinking.

‘I should go home.’ Bucky said, ‘It is getting late.’ He shot a glance at the clock, but the alcohol was making the hands move, so he couldn’t exactly tell how late it was.

‘I wanna do something nice for you.’ Steve said, wobbling a bit on his feet. ‘You took the time to teach me how to make lasagna, so I wanna do something nice for you.’ Concentration etched his face.

‘You don’t have to, I really like…’ _you,_ he was about to say, you. But even in his inebriated state, he couldn’t yet say that. ‘d hanging out with you.’

‘Let me take you to dinner.’ Steve said, he blurted it out halfway through Bucky’s sentence, like he, physically, couldn’t keep it in any longer.

Bucky looked at him questioningly.

‘Don’t worry. I won’t cook. I know a nice restaurant and I want to take you there. My treat.’ He looked so adorable with big, pleading puppy eyes, that Bucky felt the last sensible part of him slip away and the alcohol take over.

‘Like a date?’ _Crap,_ he wanted to hit himself. _Why? Why did he ask that?_ It obviously wasn’t a date. Steve just wanted to repay him for the cooking lesson. He was starting to mutter the beginning of an apology, when Steve interrupted him again.

‘Exactly like a date.’

Bucky looked up from his shoes and faced a beaming Steve. His mind was still busy processing what Steve had just said, but the big guy’s smile was infectious.

‘You want to go on a date with me?’ Bucky asked, just trying to make sure the alcohol hadn’t affected his hearing.

Steve nodded. ‘Yes please.’

Now Bucky smiled as wide as Steve.

‘Well sir, I accept your proposal for a date.’ He didn’t know why he was suddenly speaking in a British accent. Oh well, he had a date with Steve!

‘So is Friday good?’ Steve asked and when Bucky nodded, he continued. ‘I could pick you up at seven, if that’s okay.’

‘That is perfect. So I’ll see you then.’ Bucky said, finally opening Steve’s door. ‘I’ll probably see you before that, but you know what I mean.’ He rambled.

Steve was leaning against the doorjamb, still smiling warmly, when he suddenly leaned forward and kissed Bucky on the cheek. It was a fast kiss and nowhere near his mouth, but it still filled Bucky with butterflies.

‘See you later Bucky.’ Steve said, while closing the door.

Bucky didn’t know how long he stood in that hallway after Steve had closed the door. He also didn’t know how he got back into his own bed. The only thoughts going through his head were that he had a date with Steve, and that Steve had kissed him. On the cheek.

He fell asleep with a smile on his face, and even his hangover the following morning couldn’t wipe it away.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments really motivate me to write, and god knows I need motivation, so please comment!


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